Capital Report ~ May 11, 2007
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Premier Gordon Campbell and MLA Sindi Hawkins lead a group of cyclists in Vancouver in preparation for the 2007 Tour of Courage to support blood cancer research. The Premier was on hand to receive a special message from seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong informing him that Armstrong would lead the community ride in Vancouver. May 5, 2007.

Lance Armstrong Coming to B.C. to Lead Tour of Courage 

Premier Gordon Campbell announced this week that seven-time Tour de France champion and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong will be returning to Vancouver in September to lead the B.C. Cancer Foundation's 2007 Tour of Courage bike ride. The event will raise money for blood cancer research for the B.C. Cancer Agency. Both Premier Campbell and MLA Sindi Hawkins (who is herself a cancer survivor) were on hand to receive a special message from Armstrong.

On September 23, Lance Armstrong, Premier Campbell and MLA Sindi Hawkins will join thousands of other British Columbians in Vancouver's community ride to raise money and bring awareness to this important cause. For more information on joining the community ride, please click here to visit the Tour of Courage website or click here to visit the BC Cancer Foundation and find out how you can make a difference.

B.C. Celebrates Nursing Week With Investment

The B.C. Government celebrated Nursing Week this year by announcing a $28-million investment in B.C.’s Nursing Strategy to help increase the number of practising nurses in British Columbia. Including this week’s announcement, the B.C. Government has contributed a total of $174 million since 2001 to help educate, retain and recruit the best qualified nurses in the province.

As a result of government investment in the B.C. Nursing Strategy:
  • $50 million has been funded to front-line leadership positions and training;
  • An additional $30 million has been committed to specialty and continuing education programs; and
  • Over 1,200 nurses have been supported through various education upgrades and 1,100 nurses re-educated through the Return to Nursing Program.

Click for more information.

B.C. to Participate in North American Climate Registry

The B.C. Government announced this week that British Columbia will join with 30 U.S. states and a U.S. Indian tribe as a member of The Climate Registry that will develop a greenhouse gas database and reporting system to help us track the progress we make in reducing our emissions.

In the 2007 Throne Speech, the Government:
  • Set a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 33 per cent below current levels by 2020, which will place emissions 10 per cent under 1990 levels;
  • Announced it will set new tailpipe emissions standards for all new vehicles sold in B.C., to be phased in between 2009 and 2016; and
  • Announced it will establish a Climate Action Team to identify practical options and actions for making the Government of B.C. carbon neutral by 2010.

Click for more information.

Saturday, May 12, 2007
Wally Oppal, MLA for Vancouver-Fraserview and Attorney General, will be featured on Constituency Report on Shaw Cable 4 from 8:00-8:30am and 5:00-5:30pm.

Olga Ilich, MLA for Richmond Centre and Minister of Labour and Citizens' Services, will be featured on Constituency Report on Shaw Cable 4 from 8:30-9:00am and 5:30-6:00pm.

Sunday, May 13, 2007
Mary Polak, MLA for Langley, will be featured on Constituency Report on Shaw Cable 4 from 12:30-1:00pm and from 4:30-5:00pm.

Quotes This Week

“I think it bodes well, we are starting to get a lot of interest in the convention centre and we believe there has been pent-up demand. Groups have wanted to be here, but it was not only the size of our facility... we didn't have the complexity of room configuration that they needed.”
Barbara Maple, President of Vancouver's Convention & Exhibition Centre (VCEC), commenting on the increased demand on Vancouver's convention centre once expansions are complete. Current estimates suggest an extra $1.1 billion in direct and indirect economic spinoffs to the provincial economy as a result of the expansion. Vancouver Sun, May 11, 2007.


Did You Know?
  • British Columbia is graduating more new nurses now than ever before. Since 2001, the government has added 3,347 nursing education spaces in the province - an increase of 82 per cent - with 20 new nursing programs created at B.C. public secondary institutions. With this increased training capacity, more than 7,500 new nurses have graduated in B.C. in the past five years alone.

  • On May 7, 2007 Dominion Bond Rating Service upgraded the debt and issuer ratings of the Province of British Columbia to AA (high). The upgrade is a direct result of the prudent and responsible fiscal management that our government has implemented since 2001, and represents the sixth credit rating upgrade from major bond rating agencies in recent years. By contrast, under NDP governments in the 1990s B.C. saw several rating downgrades. 

  • British Columbians will benefit from a $3 million provincial grant to the Prostate Centre at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), a world leader in research and treatment of prostate cancer. The grant is significant in ensuring that B.C. remains at the forefront in diagnosing and dealing with the illness. 
    • © 2007 Government Caucus of British Columbia. All Rights Reserved.